The Sources of Knowledge: Intellectual Knowledge and Lived Wisdom - Why Knowing Everything Can Mean Understanding Nothing
(Photo credit : Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy) After returning from an extended work related travel last week, two coincidental encounters sparked my philosophical curiosity. Philosophy Now's Issue 169 arrived in my mailbox just as I settled in to watch Good Will Hunting, a film my son had recommended. Though these experiences seemed unrelated at first, both grappled with fundamental questions about how we acquire knowledge. The magazine's exploration of "The Sources of Knowledge" aligned remarkably with the film's portrayal of its protagonist's path to understanding and knowledge. This convergence prompted deeper reflection on epistemology, the philosophical study of knowledge itself, something I have been studying extensively during and post-covid years. The subject is expansive, as each person's journey to knowledge follows a unique trajectory shaped multitude of things, experience, education, and insight amongst them. These parallel encounters,...